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Task force or study body Confirmed
Special Legislative Commission to Study Blockchain and Cryptocurrency · Status unclear
- Created by: Joint Resolution R 403 (2026-S 2198 Substitute A), introduced Jan. 23, 2026; enacted June 10, 2026 per the General Assembly public law page
- Organized by: Rhode Island General Assembly (Senate-led; sponsors Sens. DiPalma, Gu, Burke, Urso, Paolino, Zurier)
- Led by: Chair is one of three state senators appointed by the Senate President; no name found in sources (source dated June 2026)
- Members: Ten members: three senators (no more than two from one party); Secretary of Commerce or designee; Director of Dept. of Business Regulation or designee; five public members appointed by the Senate President (academic with blockchain expertise, financial institution, federal securities law, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency).
- Outputs and timeline: None yet. Interim progress report due Jan. 5, 2027; final report due Jan. 5, 2028 (to Secretary of Commerce, General Treasurer and General Assembly); commission expires Feb. 5, 2028. Must meet at least four times per calendar year; reports posted on Commerce and DBR websites.
Sources: RI Public Laws: Resolution R 403 (2026), 2026-S 2198 text
Created and within its term, but no appointments, chair, meetings or minutes were found, so operating status is marked unclear. Earlier versions: 2025-S 0373 (five members, Commerce Secretary chairs; sponsors DiPalma et al.) and 2025-H 5810 (seven members; Reps. Casey, Solomon, Brien) had interim report dates of Jan. 5, 2026; legiplex shows S 0373 reported 'pass' from committee on June 5, 2025 but no later action, and no 2025 public law was found. Bitcoinlaws.io lists S 0373 as 'enacted June 10, 2025', which conflicts with the 2026 R 403 date of June 10, 2026; treat the 2025 claim as unverified (likely a year mix-up). A companion 2026 House resolution, H 7956 (five members), was introduced Feb. 27, 2026 with no further action shown.
Sources: 2025-S 0373 text, 2025-H 5810 text, Legiplex: 2025 S 0373 history, Legiplex: 2026 H 7956, Bitcoinlaws.io Rhode Island tracker (secondary, conflicting date)
Bitcoin or digital asset reserve law Reported
2025-H 6007 (Rhode Island Digital Asset Retention Act, Rep. Stephen Casey), introduced Feb. 28, 2025 and referred to House Finance, would have let the General Treasurer invest up to 10% per fund per year in bitcoin/digital assets. A tracker reports it died in May 2025; bill text read, status from secondary source. No 2026 reserve bill checked.
Sources: 2025-H 6007 text, Bitcoinlaws.io Rhode Island tracker
Licensing Confirmed
Virtual currency is regulated under RI's currency transmission licensing (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 19-14 and 19-14.3): per DBR's FAQ, a license is needed for maintaining control of virtual currency or virtual currency transactions on behalf of others (e.g., exchanges, custodial wallets); a business trading as principal from its own inventory generally is not covered. Orrick reports the 2019 law (cited as HB 5847, signed July 15, 2019, effective Jan. 1, 2020) added virtual currency to the chapter; bill number not verified (search results also showed 2019 H 5776).
Sources: DBR Currency Transmission FAQ, Orrick on 2019 law, 2019 H 5776 text (seen in search, not opened)
Crypto kiosks (ATMs) Confirmed
2025-H 5121 Sub A / S 0016 Sub A (sponsors Rep. Casimiro, Sen. Gu), approved by the General Assembly per a June 26, 2025 legislative press release, amend ch. 19-14.3 (new 19-14.3-3.9 to 3.13): kiosk operators need a money transmitter license; each kiosk is registered with DBR; $2,000 daily limit for new customers (first 30 days) and $5,000 for existing; refunds for fraud victims (full for new customers, fees for existing) if reported within 90 days; fraud warnings, blockchain analytics, compliance officer, live customer service Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST; paper receipts effective Nov. 1, 2025.
Sources: RI Legislature press release, June 26, 2025, 2025-H 5121 Sub A text, Introduction press release, Feb. 3, 2025, Legiplex: 2025 S 0016 history
Other 2025 to 2026 actions
- 2026-01-09: S 2021 (Sen. Appollonio) would exempt bitcoin sales up to $5,000/month or $20,000/year from RI income tax from Jan. 1, 2027 to Jan. 1, 2028; introduced and referred to Senate Finance, no further action seen.
- 2025-02-26: H 5636 (Rep. Kennedy et al.) would require kiosk receipts and disable kiosks that cannot print; introduced and referred to House Innovation, Internet and Technology; no enactment seen (receipt rules were instead folded into H 5121).
Sources: 2026-S 2021 text, 2025-H 5636 text
Source notes: Commission leadership and appointments unknown. Governor action/public law number for the kiosk law not confirmed (press release June 26, 2025; Bitcoinlaws.io says June 23, 2025; legiplex shows S 0016 engrossed 6/17/25). This item had not received a full follow-up search at the time of review. DBR FAQ undated.
Frequently asked
Does Rhode Island have a crypto or blockchain task force?
Rhode Island has had 1 such body: Special Legislative Commission to Study Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (status unclear). Our confidence in this entry is Confirmed. The entry above lists who created it, who organized and leads it, and where the public records are.
Does Rhode Island have a bitcoin or digital asset reserve law?
Our research shows the status as failed (confidence: Reported). 2025-H 6007 (Rhode Island Digital Asset Retention Act, Rep. Stephen Casey), introduced Feb. 28, 2025 and referred to House Finance, would have let the General Treasurer invest up to 10% per fund per year in bitcoin/digital assets. A tracker reports it died in May 2025; bill text read, status from secondary source. No 2026 reserve bill checked.
Does Rhode Island regulate crypto kiosks (ATMs)?
Our research shows law (confidence: Confirmed). 2025-H 5121 Sub A / S 0016 Sub A (sponsors Rep. Casimiro, Sen. Gu), approved by the General Assembly per a June 26, 2025 legislative press release, amend ch. 19-14.3 (new 19-14.3-3.9 to 3.13): kiosk operators need a money transmitter license; each kiosk is registered with DBR; $2,000 daily limit for new customers (first 30 days) and $5,000 for existing; refunds for fraud victims (full for new customers, fees for existing) if reported within 90 days; fraud warnings, blockchain analytics, compliance officer, live customer service Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST; paper receipts effective Nov. 1, 2025.
This page is part of our 50-state crypto legislation and task force tracker. Each entry is labeled Confirmed, Reported, Unclear or None found; see the tracker for how we research it.